Sept. 3, 2020

Inside the Dangerous Mission to Understand What Makes Extremists Tick—and How to Change Their Minds

Artis International researchers have received funding from Minerva in their efforts to push the boundaries of social science, through everything from experimental surveys on armed forces to psychological tests on imprisoned extremists.

March 17, 2020

Threat Enhances Aggressive Inclinations Among Devoted Actors Via Increase in Their Relative Physical Formidability

Devoted actors—those who share sacred values with a group with which they are fused—are particularly willing to self-sacrifice to defend their group or values when they are threatened. Here, we explore whether they are also prone to aggressive inclinations toward those who endanger their group or convictions.

March 11, 2020

Scott Atran's new article, "Measures of Devotion to ISIS and other Fighting and Radicalized Groups"

Minerva-funded research Scott Atran's new article, "Measures of Devotion to ISIS and other Fighting and Radicalized Groups" has been published in "Current Opinion in Psychology". Read more

Dec. 2, 2019

Scott Atran's new article on "This is Your Brain on Terrorism: The Science Behind a Death Wish"

In a series of behavioral studies of frontline combatants in Iraq and brain imaging studies of self-identified extremist in Spain, research teams found that those who are most willing to make costly sacrifices, including fighting and dying, were motivated by sacred values and shunned deliberative reasoning.